5 Tips for Creating Customer Comfort in Your Zendesk Help Center

Your ZenDesk product comes with a built-in Help Center, but is it really setting you apart from the competition? Following five easy steps, you can create greater customer comfort in your Help Center, leading to better resolution and satisfaction for your site users.

1. Fully Integrate the Help Center on Your Site

It's critical that your Help Center appear and function as a part of your site. Customers don't want to feel like they are being directed offsite for assistance. Even if you use third-party templates or workers to manage your Help Center, boost customer trust by carefully integrating Help Center technology with the rest of your site. Use customizable help center solutions that include your brand colors, logo and font, not just on the page and hero image, but on icons and associated page elements. A well-branded Help Center lets customers know they are still on your site and reduces confusion for online visitors – something that may seem simple but that is actually essential in a time when cybercriminals spoof sites on a regular basis.

2. Create User-Friendly Pages and Functions

Zendesk comes with standard Help Center designs and functions out of the box. While these functions provide for common customer needs, they don't necessary create efficiency specifically for your customers or you. Branding makes your Help Center look like part of your site; customization integrates the pages and processes more fully for user-friendly interfaces that offer true help for customers. Customize layouts and online tools so your Help Center pages flow seamlessly.

3. Don't Forgot Mobile Users

As of 2015, 75 percent of people with mobile phones in North America were using those phones to access the internet. Experts predict that number to grow to over 87 percent by 2019, and those figures don't include individuals who access the web on non-computer devices such as tablets. Whether you're serving individual consumers or businesses, the chances that someone will need to access Help Center functions with their smartphone or mobile device is high and continuously growing, which necessitates using a responsive template.

4. Pay Attention to Content

Many individuals seeking help online don't want to wait for a response from a Help Center representative. Answers to common or straightforward questions can be included in Help Center knowledge bases, including blog posts, articles and FAQs. To facilitate customer self-help, though, content has to be high quality, well written and structured in ways that make it easy to find. Consider including search tools, linking between related knowledge material and offering a forum where users can help each other.

5. Minimize Response Times and Hassle

Finally, when customers do have to contact someone through the Help Center, they don't want to wait days or weeks for a response. In urgent cases, customers don't want to wait hours or even minutes. A fast, hassle-free Help Center keeps customers on your site and limits the risks that they will complain or seek solutions in public ways via social media. Resolving customer issues without making them jump through hoops for assistance also increases loyalty for your brand.